Uncertainty was what First Attacked our Emotions

“We can proudly say that under the conditions of the pandemic, we – Armenian doctors – were able to serve our people and country with dignity and even today we spare no effort and we keep providing them with vital service with the same enthusiasm and attitude”.

Ruben Grigoryan
Virologist
National Center of Infectious Diseases of Armenia

In the beginning, we were all emotionally strained. Soon after the announcement of the pandemic, the number of COVID patients in our clinic grew at a catastrophic rate.

At first, we acted spontaneously, because we didn’t know what type of infection we were dealing with – we didn’t know at all what COVID was, we didn’t know how to treat it… Our main task was to scrupulously determine severe or stable forms of disease among the patients.

Uncertainty was what first attacked our emotions. None of us knew when this uncertainty would end, or whether it would ever end. During that time we had to work and study at the same time. Furthermore we were working 24/7, mostly without breaks. And this state of emergency lasted too long.

Certainly, my family members worried and complained, but they understood that being a doctor is a great responsibility and I should put my job first in an emergency. This is my duty and I cannot deny it.

That’s how it was when I was a military doctor and had to work under extreme conditions. This experience helped me a lot during the pandemic not only in managing my own emotions, but also in encouraging and empowering my colleagues.

We can proudly say that under the conditions of the pandemic, we – Armenian doctors – were able to serve our people and country with dignity and even today we spare no effort and we keep providing them with vital services and the same enthusiasm and attitude.

Uncertainty was what first attacked our emotions. None of us knew when this uncertainty would end, or whether it would ever end.